[Pax]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:
Solar power plants... Build a base with a reactor or two, and lots of supply tanks.
You'll need enough supply tanks to the maximum capacity of your base is at least twice the maximum capacity of the ships it will be refueling.

Actually, supply capacity + generation for one turn, should be double the ship's capacity. Remember, it'll have to syat fleet-ed for a turn, to shift supplies.

Constructing new ships... Expensive, but if you build a ship with bridge, crew quaters, lifesupport, and make the rest one giant fuel tank, you can heave quite a lot of emergency supplies into orbit. (Ships start fully supplied)

And in general, supply tankers can help give you a lot more endurance anyway; send a few with any fleets that use supplies in excess of their self-generation.

Heck, a ship with a Solar Generator is very useful for extending range ...

Aside from generation, you also have conservation available.
- The supply use reducing racial trait. (Advanced Power Conservation?)
- Research level 3 engines... Each level up in engine technology reduces supply use by 2 points. Gravitic engine tech gets really efficient, too.
- Remove excess engines. The slower your ship, the less supplies you burn to move each sector. Engines which do not increase the ship's speed (due to QNP rounding) can also be removed to save fuel.
- Use energy-based weapons. If you have enough radioactives to pay for them, energy-based weapons are very inexpensive supply-wise. Lasers, HEM, Psychic, and light particle beams.

- Use Solar Sail engines. No supply usage at all, though, not very fast and a bit on the large side (suitable for nonmilitary uses at least).